From being the youngest player to ever qualify for Wimbledon in the Open Era, to not only being handed a “dream draw” against her tennis idol, Venus Williams, but also beating the four-time champion in the first round, Coco Gauff’s rise to fame is one of tennis’ most beloved fairytales. After realizing her massive opportunity as a 15-year-old at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, she said, “I’m super shocked, but I’m just super blessed that Wimbledon decided to give me the wild card.” Grabbing the opportunity with both hands, young Gauff outclassed Williams by 6-4,6-4 in just 1 hour and 19 minutes. What was really going on in her mind during that match, though?

In 2019, she was relatively an unknown figure in the tennis world, so facing the seven-time Grand Slam champion seemed to be a massive challenge for her. Talking about the build-up to this epic match, she previously revealed, “When I walked on the court, I put the music really loud in my ears because I didn’t want to look at, or hear, the crowd.” Her goal was to bring the best version of herself against a living legend like Venus Williams.

Revealing more details about this epic match during an mini documentary with Rolex, Coco Gauff said, “It felt like a story book. Her game is so calm and so focused. I just remember not looking at the scoreboard the entire match because I didn’t want to see her name. The hardest points of the match were the match points. I felt like I was holding my breath. I don’t want to be known as the girl who got close.” With that win against Williams, she became the youngest tennis player to win a match at Wimbledon since Jennifer Capriati in 1991.

That victory was an taster of what the tennis world was about to witness in the next few years. After losing her chance by the finest of margins at the 2022 French Open to Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff became a Grand Slam champion at the 2023 US Open. But even with the upward trajectory she’s on, her win against Williams holds a special place in her heart. It made her believe that she belongs here and strengthened her ambition to become the best. After that match, Gauff even showed her respect to Williams at the net by saying, “Thank you for what you did, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”

What did Venus Williams say to her in return? According to Gauff, Williams congratulated her after the match and told her to “keep going.” It marked only the second time that Williams has been beaten in the first round at Wimbledon since her debut in 1997. When she was asked to say a few lines about the teenager’s performance in that Wimbledon clash, Williams said, “I think the sky’s the limit, it really is. She did everything well today. She put the ball in the court, which was much better than I did. She served well, moved well. It was a great match for her.”

Later on, Gauff even got the chance to play doubles event alongside Venus Williams at the 2021 French Open. However, they got eliminated in the first round itself. Talking about the French Open, well, the main draw is just a few days away now. Does Gauff have a real chance at this year’s event?

Coco Gauff talks about her chances at the 2025 French Open

Unlike most other American tennis stars, clay courts have been a happy hunting ground for Coco Gauff. She won her first career junior Grand Slam tournament title at the 2018 French Open, before making it to the finals four years later on the senior level. Even this year, Gauff was struggling a bit on the hard courts earlier this season, but on clay, she has yet again found her rhythm. Gauff reached the QF in Stuttgart before making it to two consecutive finals in Madrid and Rome. Currently, she has an overall win-loss record of 24-8. How optimistic is she about her chances at the 2025 French Open, though?

“Yeah, I think it’s both confidence and motivation to do better. Hopefully, I can get to the final in Roland Garros and maybe the ‘third time is a charm’ thing is a real thing. That’s looking so far ahead. Overall, I lost to two quality opponents, Aryna in Madrid and Jasmine here. So yeah, I think I have a lot to improve, a lot that I can work on. I made the final with those errors. Made the final, maybe not playing my best tennis. It just gives me confidence if I can find that good form heading into Roland Garros, I can do well there,” said Gauff.

What do the tennis experts have to say on this? Well, according to the former ATP pro, Steve Johnson, said that with Iga Swiatek dropping to the fifth seed in Roland Garros, it’ll be a bit tricky for all the other players like Gauff. He thinks nobody would want to face the defending champion in the QF. But having said that, Steve Johnson also made a bold prediction, saying, “She can go into the French Open feeling like she can win the tournament.” How far do you think Coco Gauff can go in this year’s French Open?